How did you first become caught up in the plot to remove Principal Jason from power and bring the Bautista family to justice? Shawn Ingram my homeboy from middle and high school calls me up. He asks for me to come to work at Cody High School to mentor some girls and boys who are being steered towards the gangs to be runners and dealers. You know there’s shorter sentencing for first time offenders. I also teach mathematics at the high school.What worries you? Who did the drive by on your student and why was Shawn Murdered? I worry about when another one of my students could be shot or killed. Who is doing this I don’t know but it has to stop. The person who has murdered my friend will be brought to justice. As for the drug kingpin Nachine Bautista who my Uncle Jace spoke about should be the prime suspect. She is known for distributing and selling drugs along West Chicago, Evergreen, and the Greenfield areas that are around Cody High School and Brooks Middle School. I don’t believe my students are involved. They’re too intelligent and cool to mess around with drugs. The main problem is keeping the drug dealers and gang members away from the kids.What do you think about a known drug kingpin Nachine Bautista living few blocks over from you? I hate her because she gives you reasons to fear her. Although I fear her, I’m going to keep active with the neighborhood watch in my community and working to push her and her drug houses out the area. She’s no good. She lives off the drug money that destroys other people. I could say so much more but I don’t have time to waste on that evil witch. [Brice’s eyes widen and he gives a weak laugh.]How close were Shawn and you? He was my boy. He could do no wrong. He was there when my parents never understood that our neighborhood changed. He helped me to stay out of gangs like the Tattletale. Even though he was poorer than me he still hanged out with me and never threw it up in my face. After he got his hand shot off, my parents pulled me out the school and the community. I went to live with Uncle Jace. I felt guilt for leaving him. So, I came back to teach at Cody High School. How do you feel about the women figures in your life? Qadira is my student. Are you having a sexually relationship with her? No, I’m trying to help her. She suffers from the pain of losing her classmate Mario. After a brief meeting with her mother, I have urged her to get counseling. Her parents are not much support. They are out of touch and unprepared for what the neighborhood has become and what some of its own members are doing to our kids. I’m relying on Miss Yasmine Willis to help me through this. Wasn’t she engaged to Shawn Ingram? Yes. Yasmine and I are good friends.Is this woman you tried to marry in secret? It was a mistake. I hope Shawn never found out. Rest in peace, Shawn.Does Miss Willis share the same view of your relationship? No comment.What about Constance Rivera? I found out that Arcadio may have been involved with Shawn’s death. I followed and watched him. I was about to question him when Constance popped up and killed Arcadio in self-defense.The Arcadio’s murder case remains open and you are considered a suspect. So how you know she shot him in self-defense? No comment on that. As for Constance, I don’t know who she really is. She claims she’s an assassin from the Brazilian government. I don’t trust what she says. She may kill me because I know-What do you know? No Comment.

Frelisa Walker

The novel One Death At A Time (work in progress) conveys a hopeful message that Detroit can overcome it's problems.​​This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.